The Sideways Effect

Massive Savings To Coincide With International Merlot Day (November 7th)

November is undoubtedly one of the busiest months in the wine world; not only are we gearing up towards the festive season, but there are also many "wine days". Tomorrow is International Merlot Day, it's one of the newest wine days which is believed to have been "Hallmarked" to save Merlot from "The Sideways Effect". Whether it was or wasn't isn't really important, the important part is that we've some amazing savings both in-store and online until the end of the week to coincide with it.

Merlot is a grape that's full of character and flavour. It's the most popular and widely planted grape in France and found original fame in Bordeaux; it's made its way across the globe due to its ability to please all palates, complement almost any dish, and blend well with other grapes. It's the grape at the heart of some super wines from Tuscany and America. Our specials cover all of these.

Casa Emma "Soloio" Super Tuscan Merlot 2017

Was €64.95 Now €49.95

This was the first wine in Tuscany to be made only from Merlot, hence its name, which means ‘only me’. This isn’t a big super-Tuscan with massive vanilla and oak flavours, rather it is a wine from Tuscany that tastes like a wine from Tuscany! A very small quantity of mature Merlot vines give a wine that is ripe and deep on the nose, with notes of bramble and plum, which are met by dried leaf and earthiness. These flavours continue to the palate, which is round and smooth yet still maintains the expected bitter-sweet characteristics so important to Tuscan classics.

Chateau Cormeil Figeac Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2018

Was €44.95 Now €34.95

One for the connoisseurs, an elegant, suave, intense and structured wine with a beautiful aromatic complexity and subtle oak. An "old fashioned" real Saint Emilion.

Wine Enthusiast - 91 Points "This powerful and dense wine shows the richness of Merlot in this vintage. The texture, rich chocolate and black-fruit flavours and dark tannins contribute to a sense of strength and suggest great potential." Roger Voss.

Fog Mountain Merlot, California

Was €26.95 Now €22.95

An alluring Californian Merlot with a long, satisfying finish. This is soft and fleshy, a sleek medium-bodied wine with well-structured tannins and flavours of red fruits, including raspberry, strawberry and cherry pie, rounded out by hints of vanilla and cinnamon .

Chateau Juguet Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2014

Was €26.95 Now €22.95

A pretty vineyard situated at the foot of Saint-Émilion, Château Juguet is a lovely example of the wines produced from the plains of this famous appellation. The vineyard’s gravelly soils, planted mostly with Merlot and Cabernet Franc and a smaller percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon, allow for a beautiful expression of the Merlot grape and optimal maturity for the Cabernets.